Professional Life

As a journalist and author, Mark Huband has gained first-hand experience of researching and reporting on many of the major political and economic trends of the past thirty years.

Postings as a foreign correspondent in Abidjan and Nairobi took him to most countries of sub-Saharan Africa as they emerged from the Cold War. Initially for the Financial Times and then as Africa correspondent for the Guardian and the Observer, his subject matter ranged from social and economic issues to political coverage and war reporting. He has also written two well-received books about the region, one focusing on the Liberian civil war, the other a detailed study of sub-Saharan Africa in the post-Cold War period.

Rebasing in 1995 to Morocco to report on North Africa, his key focus was the political turmoil in Algeria. His subsequent move to Cairo as regional correspondent for the Financial Times gave him the chance to broaden and deepen his knowledge of the entire Middle East. He reported from most countries of the Arab world, as well as Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey, developing a deep knowledge of economic, business and political trends. Among the first to identify the growing significance of political Islam and the emergence of al-Qaeda, his exceptional study of the Islamist phenomenon was followed by a unique portrait of Arab society and Western involvement in the Arab world, and subsequently by two highly-detailed books examining the emergence of Egypt in the 1990s and the emerging social trends in Saudi Arabia.

A move to London saw him create the International Economy section of the Financial Times. In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks he was appointed to oversee the FT’s coverage of Al-Qaida. This subsequently led to his appointment as the newspaper’s Security Correspondent, in which role he covered issues ranging from Islamic extremism to Iran’s nuclear programme and the role of secret intelligence in Iraq and elsewhere; his acclaimed study of the world of secret intelligence was published in 2013.

Since leaving journalism he has overseen major research projects for multinational companies seeking detailed understanding of political, economic and business issues. As co-founder and Managing Director of Livingstone & Company he has, since 2008, managed the research and provision of high-quality strategic intelligence reporting in all parts of the world.